Latashá Moves Differently in the Desert

Opposites that attract Latashá: technology and nature. The LA-based musician, performance artist and all-around creatrix holed up for 30 days at Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs in January, meditating on the primal bond between humans and nature.

Latashá’s Sonoran sojourn was spent hiking, foraging and visiting the Agua Caliente Museum — while simultaneously witnessing the devastating LA fires and governmental shifts. Her resulting multimedia piece muva_nature mixes film, photography, poetry, performance, music and experimental visual effects in an abstract, thermodynamic reflection of a world experiencing environmental and internal upheaval. Newly released this month, the muva_nature tape, a sonic extension of her stay that’s part ceremony, part score, part survival rhythm. We asked Latashá some questions about her stay and she answered — below.

How does the location or environment where you create influence your work?
My art is naturally often influenced by the environment. muva_nature was born out of the surrounding desert — Palm Springs, the canyons, the springs, the quiet. There’s something about being out there that stripped me down, made me move differently, made me listen in a way I don’t in the city. The mountains felt like ancestors watching over me, the wind felt like it was speaking. It reminded me that nature is always shifting, always transforming, just like we are. That realization changed how I approached this piece — it wasn’t just about performance, it was about feeling like part of the landscape.

What do you hope audiences feel or experience through your work?
I want them to feel like they are viewing the world with a new lens. I want them to see the works as a story of connection and activation. I hope the work also makes people have a conversation about the transformations happening on the planet and come to appreciate how its story can be parallel to our own.

How have you adapted your creative process to working from a hotel room?
It’s been a reminder in making something out of nothing. When you don’t have your studio or a set space, you learn to use what’s around you. The canyons became my scenes, the camera became my collaborator, the random sounds in the stories I would hear became part of the writing. It actually forced me to be more granular — every movement, every sound had to have a purpose. It also taught me flexibility. I had to be okay with not having control over every little thing and just trusting the process. Sometimes the best ideas come from the limitations.

What’s the most unexpected thing that happened during your stay?
I ended up partying with a motorcycle gang during the Paradise Road Show.

Did you uncover any hidden gems?
Yes, Mitchell’s in Palm Springs has some incredible vintage pieces and Bill’s Pizza is literally gold.

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